


Silver Linings

by Chaosmoon75 (Chaosmoon)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Forgotten Realms, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Developing Friendships, Gen, On Hiatus, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-05-17 11:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaosmoon/pseuds/Chaosmoon75
Summary: Kagome tries to go home while Naraku still can't be found but finds that she can't get through the well. Instead the well decides to hand her and her friends a couple of surprises. With two strangers in their midst will the battle rage out of control or will more than one world be saved?





	1. Chapter 1

Kagome let out a sigh. They were no closer to finding Naraku than they had been for the last several weeks. Things were too quiet as far as she was concerned too, but she was going to take the opportunity to go home for a few days and catch up anyway. There was no telling when she might have the opportunity again.  
She had said goodbye to Inuyasha and the others in Edo. The well wasn’t too far from Kaede’s but heading there alone always gave her more time to fret over everything.  
She was still only paying half a mind to her surroundings when she reached the well, a bad habit but one she was too preoccupied to care about currently. She was forced to start paying attention soon enough though.  
When she threw her bag into the well she quickly followed it, but she heard a thump instead of seeing a blue light. Before she could make sense of the sound she fell hard to the ground as well.  
She shakily got to her feet and looked up only to see the bright sky still instead of the ceiling of her family’s shrine. She looked around briefly and saw her bag next to her in the bottom of the well.  
Confused and a little worried she headed back out of the well. Once she was out she concentrated to see if she could feel anything different in the area but was coming up blank. She was debating on whether she should try one more time when she suddenly noticed something strange.  
She almost didn’t notice it at first, but there were wisps of neon green… something, coming out of the well. They got thicker and thicker, until it was a steady stream of green rising higher into the air. It was a lighter color than Sesshomaru’s poison, but she had never seen anything else close to it. If she concentrated on it though, it had a vibrant feel. It was full of life.  
After rising several meters into the sky in a thick, swirling column, the whole thing seemed to collapse. Almost like a giant wave, it splashed back to the ground. Kagome gasped, but she didn’t have time to even try to avoid it. She crouched down and covered her head in an attempt to avoid the worst of it.  
Surprisingly, she only felt something like a warm wind rustle through her hair. Once everything was silent again she dared to look up. She was amazed to find she wasn’t hurt at all or even wet. Whatever it had been passed right by her.  
As she turned around the clearing to see if anything was out of place she stifled a scream as her eyes landed on a person lying in front of the well. She cautiously approached but it looked as if whoever it was, was completely unconscious.  
As she drew nearer she was beginning to wonder if this person could be a youkai. Kagome could tell they were male at least. The black coat he had on was open and he had no other shirt underneath. Her doubts came from two things though. He looked to be incredibly tall. Since he was lying down she couldn’t tell exactly, but if she had to guess, she would say he was at least as tall as Sesshomaru. Also, his hair was long and silver.   
She knew the inu weren’t the only youkai that had the signature silver hair but that was the most common. As she thought that, an uneasy feeling grew in her stomach. Many of Naraku’s incarnations had also had silver hair. She was already backing up unconsciously when she backed right into something. This time she didn’t bother holding in her scream.  
Much to her relief though, she was greeted by Inuyasha’s gruff voice. “What the hell is going on woman.” She couldn’t help but turn and throw her arms around her friend even though he pushed her away immediately.  
“Feh, can’t you be alone for more than a minute without causing trouble?” Kagome was already feeling better with Inuyasha’s normal behavior washing over her. It was about that time that he finally noticed the stranger in the clearing. She could immediately tell the difference in his posture.  
“Who the hell is this?” Inuyasha had crouched down and started sniffing around the unconscious man. He wrinkled his nose and stepped back. “He smells weird. This whole place smells weird. Seriously Kagome, what happened here!”  
She rolled her eyes at his exuberance. As much as it reassured her to have him here right now, she was reminded again why she needed a break occasionally. “I don’t know. I tried using the well to go home but it didn’t work. Right after I crawled out this green… stuff… came pouring out of the well and when it cleared out he was laying there.”  
After her brief explanation they both just stared at the strange man until the silence was broken by the rest of their friends running into the clearing. “Kagome! Are you all right? We all saw a strange green glow coming from this direction and Inuyasha took off. What happened?”  
Kagome pointed to the stranger and gave Miroku and Sango the same brief run down of what had happened. As she was giving the explanation, the stranger finally started stirring. His brief movement caught everyone’s attention, but he didn’t wake.  
Now that everyone was in the clearing with her and it seemed as though the threat of violence from the stranger was lessened, Kagome took the opportunity to observe him a little closer.   
As she drew near she saw his breathing was shallow and he had a deep wound in his stomach. She wasn’t sure how she had missed that the first time, but his blood was still oozing from it. It troubled her that it wasn’t bleeding any worse than it was, and it made her wonder if he had already lost too much blood.  
Instantly her instinct to help kicked in. “Inuyasha! He’s injured pretty badly; can you carry him back to Kaede quickly? I’ll be right behind!”  
Inuyasha had been sniffing around the clearing and was on the other side of the well when she called out to him. At her call he was back by her side giving her a dirty look. “Do I look like a pack mule to you?”  
“Jeez, quit complaining for once. Can’t you see he may not have much time! Please!?” Kagome just gave him a pleading look, hoping he wouldn’t take too much longer to decide. The stranger’s breathing was getting shallower by the minute.  
“Feh, whatever. Just hurry up. I’ll tell Kaede you’ll be right behind me.” Inuyasha picked the stranger up and started to throw him over his shoulder. He stopped at the sight of the stomach wound and just gave Kagome another dirty look as he took off with the tall man in his arms.  
Kagome ran back to grab her bag before following after Inuyasha. She didn’t have many first aid supplies left but something had to be better than nothing.  
As soon as her hand touch the strap of her oversized yellow bag however, she fell back with a scream. The second surprise of the day had her covering her face as she landed on her bottom.  
A bright white flash of light burst from the well. It only lasted a few seconds, but it still caused spots to flicker in Kagome’s vision and she had to blink several times before she could see anything at all.  
She got up gingerly and looked around. She found her remaining friends helping each other up a few feet away and hoped Inuyasha hurried to drop that man off, since there was no telling what was going on now.  
Once she was on her feet she looked around to see if there were any more strange people and was relieved to find it was just her and her friends in the clearing. Her relief was short lived however when she heard groaning coming from inside the well itself.  
Giving Miroku and Sango a look to make sure they heard it too, they just nodded back and they all cautiously approached the dry well. The groaning was intermittent but only got louder as they got closer.  
Once they were all gathered, Kagome counted to ten and took a deep breath for courage. She finally peeked over the lip of the well and had to bite back a scream. There was another man in the well and he looked like he was probably a youkai as well. He was slumped over but the little bit of light that reached the bottom of the well glinted off his silver locks.  
Kagome knew there was no way she could carry him out, but she couldn’t leave him down there as he was injured. She didn’t think twice about heading down to help the man, even if he might be youkai and she motioned Shippou to follow her down. If it got dangerous he wouldn’t be much help, but he could get her out fast and he would be the best way they currently had to get the man out as well, unless Inuyasha made it back in time.   
By the time she made it to the bottom of the well the man was starting to come to. She knelt down in front of him, but her muscles were tensed to jump at the slightest sign of provocation. She could see he had two curved swords lying next to him and after her experiences with Sesshomaru, she wasn’t too keen on repeating them.  
He finally opened his eyes and Kagome was surprised to see they were lavender. Even in the youkai she knew, that was an unusual color. They both sat there and stared at each other for a moment before Shippou finally broke the silence. “Hey are you okay? If I help you up are you going to attack me?”  
Kagome watched as the stranger’s eyes shifted to the little kitsune standing just behind her. His eyes widened when they took in the furry tail and ears, but he quickly focused on her once again. She watched as he looked around, his eyes narrowing when he found his swords but that seemed to be quickly pushed aside as well.  
Finally, he moved to stand, grabbing both swords and sheathing them in one quick, fluid motion. Kagome couldn’t help but compare his grace to their sometimes-nemesis, Sesshomaru. She was just thankful that his movement was to sheath the swords and not to attack. With that kind of speed, she wasn’t sure if even Shippou would have been able to get them out in time.  
She wondered if he could tell she was spooked a little since once he was on his feet he didn’t move immediately but stood still long enough to let her know he wasn’t planning to attack. Once she started to relax he finally held out his hand. Kagome looked at it for a moment, since she didn’t think youkai shook hands but shrugged and grasped his hand anyway.  
He gave her a little bit of a funny look when she grabbed his hand but allowed her to shake it, finally speaking up. “Alae, I am Drizzt Do’Urden. Thank you for your offer of assistance.”  
She just gave him a smile at his polite greeting. She didn’t understand that first word but from the rest of it she gathered it was part of the greeting process, she hoped it was anyway. Now that she was relatively certain she wasn’t about to be killed in the next few seconds she turned her focus to getting everyone back out of the well.   
She looked up briefly to see Miroku and Sango nearly blocking the entrance. She gave them a quick wave to let them know everything was fine and turned back to the stranger with another smile. “You’re welcome! Do you think you would be able to climb out of the well on your own or will one of us need to help you?” She gestured back to Shippou as she spoke, who was still mostly hiding behind her.  
The stranger gave the kit another strange look but only shook his head. He turned to the vines Kagome herself used and pulled himself up and out of the well.   
She frowned a little as she watched him. His pointed ears, silver hair and lavender eyes all pointed to youkai heritage, but she had never seen another youkai in all her time in the sengoku jidai with such distinctive ebony skin. He didn’t have any crests either. She wondered if he might be some kind of hanyou but if he was, she had no idea what kind.  
With a shake of her head she put the thought out of her mind and followed him out of the well. It didn’t really matter as long as he wasn’t inclined to eat her or her friends.  
At the top she stopped to see him looking around with a confused look on his face and her three companions giving him a look of suspicion. She watched him for a moment as he was apparently trying to figure out what was going on, a feeling she knew quite well after coming through the well herself. At that thought, she wondered if he might be from some other time as well.  
At the thought, she felt a little sympathy for him and decided to see what she could do to help. After all it was in her nature to help whenever she could. “Uh, you said your name was Drizzt, right?” His strange name tripped off her tongue, but he turned at her voice and nodded. The confusion still apparent in his eyes.  
“Well, Drizzt, would you mind telling me what happened before you ended up in the well here?”  
His eyes hooded partially, and she could tell he was debating his answer to her request. “First, could you explain where this is?”  
“This is Japan during the sengoku jidai.” Kagome had no problem answering his question since she felt it might make him feel a little easier. She added the time period so he might be able to have a reference point if he traveled from somewhere in the future, like she had.  
“Japan? Is that the name of this land?” The stranger gestured around them, but his confusion only seemed to be deepening.  
“Yes, this country is called Japan. We are near a village named Edo.”  
His only response was to lower his head in thought. Before he had much time to devote to further thought though, Inuyasha came crashing back into the clearing and was in front of Kagome with Tessaiga drawn. His low growl echoed through the clearing at the stranger.  
The change in the stranger was instantaneous and shocking. Before Inuyasha’s growl had even cleared the other man had both his curved swords in hand and was facing Inuyasha with a look that Kagome could tell meant business. He was shorter than Inuyasha by a little bit, but he was still intimidating.  
Luckily neither male moved for a few moments which gave Kagome the chance she needed to get over her shock. She stepped next to Inuyasha and put her hand on his sleeve. “Inuyasha, he showed up like the last one, out of the well. Let’s see what’s going on before we just attack him, ok?”  
She kept her voice calm and she hoped that he would at least try to listen to her. Finally, he relaxed his position and gave her a dirty look. She noticed he hadn’t sheathed Tessaiga yet, but at least he wasn’t waving it around threateningly anymore. “Feh, whatever wench. I was almost back to the village with the other one when I saw that light. I came back as soon as I left him with Kaede.”  
At the reminder Kagome suddenly remembered how severely injured the other stranger had been. She knew Kaede would probably need her help just keeping the man alive. At that realization she immediately turned to Inuyasha. “I need you to take me back to the village quickly!”  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her sudden command but didn’t argue. He kneeled down so she could climb on his back. Before they took off she turned back to the other man. “I’m sorry! I have to go help someone that is seriously hurt. Please follow Miroku and Sango back to the village and I promise we’ll help you figure out what’s going on!”  
Inuyasha barely gave her time to finish and he was off. The stranger’s eyes going even wider as he watched the speed of the inu hanyou that had just left the clearing.  
No one said a word for a few moments. Each person in the clearing still caught up in their individual thoughts. Finally, Miroku broke the silence. He approached the stranger with a shallow bow. “Excuse me Drizzt-san, please allow me to introduce myself and my companions.”  
Drizzt gave him a wary look, after the reception he received from the other male, but this human was being more than polite. He never expected anything other than hostility from humans, but this situation had his nerves on edge. He had no idea where he was or how he got here so he would see if these people could help him find answers.  
He was wary of their motives to help one of his kind, most humans that would help a drow were not ‘nice’ but these humans had not shown him any reason to run yet, despite the protective display of the male in red. He was at least willing to follow them to the village and see if he could find any answers. He gave the taller man a nod to let him know he was listening.  
At the strange male’s nod, Miroku stepped back so he could introduce the rest of the people left in the clearing. “I am Miroku. This is Sango and the kit behind her is Shippou. The girl that helped you is Kagome, she had to leave as her miko powers were needed, and the other was Inuyasha.”  
Drizzt couldn’t hide his surprise. The young girl was a holy woman. Although he knew a few holy women that weren’t what he considered ‘holy’, this revelation did serve to explain her helpfulness. It was not in his nature to trust easily but he was willing to see what could be found out by following these people back to the young miko. “Thank you. Will you lead the way to your village?”  
Miroku gave him another quick bow and started back towards Edo and Kaede’s hut. He gave Sango a look that could only be interpreted as uncertainty. He hoped that these two back to back occurrences weren’t a bad omen, but he knew better than to make empty wishes.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk back to the village had been quiet but Miroku walked close enough to keep an eye on the stranger. So far, he had only been looking at the surrounding forest.   
When they finally reached Kaede’s hut they were surprised to see Kagome and Inuyasha standing outside arguing. Well, Miroku, Sango and Shippou weren’t surprised to see them arguing, but they did wonder why she wasn’t inside helping Kaede.  
“I promised we would help and I’m not going back on my word! If you want to keep going so bad, then just go find Kikyo. I’m sure she’d be happy to help you!” Miroku and Sango couldn’t help but cringe a little at the part of the conversation they had just walked into. Luckily, they weren’t subjected to any more of the screaming as Inuyasha stormed off just then in a huff. He shot all of them a dark glare before hopping up into a nearby tree.  
Kagome was still grumbling to herself when she finally caught sight of the rest of her team and cut herself short. “Oh, that was quick! I’m sorry you had to see that though.” She gave the stranger in their midst a wry smile.  
“So, the guy inside is actually almost healed. He hasn’t woken up yet, but the wound is completely closed. I’m glad I didn’t try my miko powers on him. There’s no telling what it might have done to him. I need more practice before I even think about trying to heal a youkai.” At her words the newest stranger stiffened.   
Was he wrong to assume they meant no harm? If she was willing to heal a demon what kind of person was she? His reaction did not go unnoticed. Before Kagome could continue Miroku stepped in. “Kagome, can I please speak with you for a moment?”  
She gave him a funny look at his request but went along with it, following him some distance away from where the rest of the group stayed. Once they were pretty sure they were out of earshot, Miroku continued. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think our newest companion might be a little uncomfortable with your miko powers. When you mentioned trying to heal the other youkai he seemed a bit distraught.”  
Kagome only nodded. She thought something like this might happen. She just had to prove to them both that she meant no harm as long as they didn’t try to harm her friends. “Thanks, Miroku. If I plan on helping those two then I need to make sure we can keep the peace.” She headed back to the little group they had walked away from, trying to formulate the best approach to ease the stranger’s mind.  
She concluded that straightforward was usually the best approach. When they got back with the group, Kagome turned to the stranger and tried to address his fears. “Drizzt-san, I would like to assure you that I won’t try to harm you. Even though I am a miko, I try to treat everyone equally unless you give me reason to do differently. I promise I will not use my miko powers to hurt you in any way.”  
At her words Drizzt was once again taken aback. If she was being truthful then she would be a minority. It would explain her actions up to this point. It would also explain her strange companions. “Thank you again, for your offer of help and reassurances. Would you mind explaining where exactly this is? I have never heard of Japan.”  
Everyone in the little group gave him varying skeptical gazes. Kagome’s was the first to clear as she tried to explain. “Well, this is a rather large island in the eastern seas. If you haven’t heard of Japan, then what country are you from and how did you get here?”  
Drizzt didn’t get the chance to answer though as they were interrupted by a commotion. Kagome sensed a large rush of youki and realized Sesshomaru was nearby and letting his presence be known. She didn’t have to wait long as Inuyasha met his half-brother at the edge of the village.  
Kagome knew they had enough to deal with already, so she moved to stop her best friend from starting another fight. Inuyasha had already started yelling but Sesshomaru was merely looking around. She figured he was trying to locate the new youkai he must have sensed.  
She approached in a way to make sure he noticed her and gave a bow before speaking. “Hello Sesshomaru-sama. Is there something we can help you with today?” They both continued to ignore Inuyasha’s yelling but Kagome did her best to try and stay in between them to keep anything from starting.  
“This Sesshomaru noticed a large spike in power. Explain what has happened.” His attitude was no surprise to Kagome. She had gotten used to it a long time ago. She was only glad that he quit trying to kill them all some time back.  
“My apologies, but we are just now trying to figure that out for ourselves. We have… found two unknown youkai and are trying to find out how they got here and what has happened.” She wasn’t sure if Sesshomaru had figured out the secret of the well yet, but she was playing it safe.  
As she spoke, Sesshomaru’s gaze finally landed on the one stranger standing nearby. His eyebrow lifted as his nose told him something interesting. This person was presumably one of the ‘youkai’ the miko mentioned but he didn’t smell like any youkai Sesshomaru had ever seen before. He didn’t smell human either. He was a complete conundrum.   
His appraisal of the stranger was interrupted by the appearance of another silver haired stranger. This one stumbled out of the older miko’s hut. Sesshomaru’s eyes widened even further as he realized this one smelled human, but more than human as well. It was another scent he was unfamiliar with.   
The fact that there were two strange people that suddenly appeared near his half-brother’s pack did not sit well with Sesshomaru. He didn’t particularly care what happened to Inuyasha, but Rin was fond of Kagome and Shippou. He did not want his ward to be hurt by proxy and these two raised his hackles. It was too convenient with Naraku still in hiding.  
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrogant words of the one standing in the doorway of the elder priestess’ hut. “What is going on here? What have you done to me?”  
Sesshomaru watched as the young miko ran to intercept the man. He could tell the man was injured in some way, which would explain the miko’s concern. He still tensed imperceptibly. If he had to intervene he wouldn’t hesitate.  
Kagome reached the stranger’s side and was surprised to see that he was even taller than Sesshomaru. He wasn’t any less intimidating though. His eyes were glowing and green, something she had never seen before. They were also slit like a cat’s. She wondered if he might be part panther youkai.  
She shook off her wayward thoughts and tried to approach the strange male. “You have to rest. You had a terrible wound that is just now healing. You may be able to heal super-fast but that doesn’t mean you are ready to be up and about.”  
The man only gave her a venomous look. “Don’t touch me. How did I come to be in Wutai?” At his words Kagome paused and gave him a curious stare.  
“You are in Japan. I have never heard of Wutai. Where is that?” She knew her world geography wasn’t the best but that sounded like a Japanese name. She was pretty sure there had never been a Wutai as part of Japan.  
The man’s brow furrowed but he still looked as if he wanted to impale her. “Nonsense. If you think kidnapping me will get you anywhere with Shinra you are mistaken. I may be their poster boy, but we will not negotiate with terrorists. Be warned, you will regret crossing me.”  
Kagome just stared, open mouthed, at his declaration. She couldn’t believe how rude he was. “Look here, we found you lying on the ground bleeding out! If we hadn’t tried to treat you, you might not have been able to heal yourself. The least you could do is try to be polite, you jerk!”  
Kagome knew she probably should not have lost her temper at this large, angry looking man, but she couldn’t stand being talked to like that. She continued to glare at him as he opened his mouth to respond.   
They were interrupted before he could speak again. “Be still. This Sesshomaru has heard enough. The miko is only trying to give you assistance.” The man’s gaze turned to the voice and Kagome was surprised to see his gaze transform to one of disbelief.  
Sephiroth was having a tough time taking in what his eyes were seeing. As far as he had ever known, he had been the only person to sport silver hair. The man in front of him however, defied all logic.  
In addition to the trademark silver hair, this man also sported facial tattoos on his cheeks and eyelids. His eyes didn’t have the glow of mako but there was still something about them. Add to that the fact that this man exuded power. Sephiroth was a tactician, and as such, regularly had to assess the strength of his opponents. He had never encountered another with this strength. The closest he had ever seen were Genesis and Angeal.  
The appearance of this new data had Sephiroth reevaluating the circumstances. If Wutai had a man like this on their side, then he doubted things would have gone the way they had. They would probably still be at war. That thought had him wondering if the girl had been telling the truth. If he wasn’t in Wutai then he needed to figure out where he was and more importantly, how to get back.  
The stranger had gone quiet after Sesshomaru spoke up. His gaze become hooded and evaluating. Finally, he broke the uncomfortable silence. “My apologies. Let me introduce myself. I am Sephiroth, Soldier 1st class. It seems that I find myself in strange circumstances. I have never heard of Japan, so you must forgive my ignorance in assuming what I did. Could someone please explain what has happened.”  
It was Sesshomaru’s turn to evaluate the man in front of him. He was larger than any human he had ever seen. The fact that the man seemed to have youkai blood did not escape his notice. It was not anything that Sesshomaru was familiar with though. If he was a hanyou, as he seemed to be, then he was a powerful hanyou. Sesshomaru could smell the confidence the man exuded. He also did not miss the large katana at his side. There was an air of power and magic around the man that Sesshomaru had never encountered.  
Kagome’s voice interrupted the thoughts of both large males. “Well, I can try to explain what happened but there isn’t much to tell. There is a dry well in the forest a short way from here. It has certain… magical properties. Something happened and… something came out of the well. It was green and warm and felt… well to my miko senses it seemed like it was teeming with life. When it cleared you were lying next to the well. I looked you over and found you had a bad wound in your abdomen.”  
“I had Inuyasha bring you to the village and was going to follow. Before I could, the well acted up again. The second time it was a bright white light that came out of the well. When that cleared the man over there, Drizzt-san, was in the well.” At the end of her explanation both men turned to look at the other newcomer.  
Sephiroth’s eyes widened again. Before him stood another man with features he would never have expected. This man was smaller than any of the other males but had a quiet power that he kept close to himself. Sephiroth was now more confused than he had been before the explanation.  
He turned back to the small woman that had been speaking. He finally noticed that she was still very young, barely starting in her womanhood. He remembered that she had been identified as a miko. If he remembered his Wutainese correctly, that made her some sort of holy woman. He pushed the thought aside. That was unimportant right now. He needed more details. “Can you take me to the well where you found me?”  
Kagome had been completely surprised when Sesshomaru came to her defense. She had barely recovered enough to give her explanation but standing here with all three pairs of eyes on her she was suddenly feeling nervous. The two strangers and Sesshomaru all had an air of power about them. Her miko senses were going crazy with the three of them standing so close to her.  
She looked around for the rest of her companions and found Miroku, Sango, and Shippou standing close to Kaede’s hut still. She looked around more and didn’t see Inuyasha anywhere. Her heart dropped at the knowledge that he had probably taken off after it was apparent she wasn’t going to allow him to attack his half-brother. It was getting to be an old pain, being abandoned by Inuyasha.  
She shook her head to clear the painful thoughts and focused again on the men still staring at her. Giving a meaningful look to the rest of her companions she finally answered. “Of course. If you will follow me, we can go see what we can figure out.”  
She turned towards the path to the well, expecting the rest to follow. She had just started when Sango called out. “Kagome, wouldn’t it be faster to fly?”  
Kagome looked back and saw that Sango had suggested it for the benefit of the injured man. He didn’t show his weariness, but Kagome could tell his injury was still bothering him. She wasn’t surprised. He had been stabbed all the way through. She was only surprised he was still alive, much less standing.  
She knew it would be better to fly, for some of them at least, but Kirara couldn’t carry them all. Before she could object Sesshomaru spoke up. “I will carry the miko. Taijiya, you will carry the other two and the houshi can follow with the kit.”  
Again, Kagome was surprised with Sesshomaru’s suggestion. She didn’t realize his only motive was to solve the mystery as quickly as possible. She didn’t even get a chance to respond before he wrapped an arm around her waist and his cloud formed beneath them. They were off without waiting to see if the others were even following.  
Kagome was too scared to move around and see if she could see the others behind them. She hoped Sango could manage the other two alone. It was only a matter of minutes until Sesshomaru set down in the clearing around the well. Kagome stepped away as fast as she could without causing any insult. Once she was back a few feet, she gave him a bow. “Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama.”  
His only response was a ‘hn’ before he turned to inspect the well. He completed an entire circuit around the well and then turned back to Kagome. “Miko, there is more to this story than you previously told this one. Your scent and that of Inuyasha’s is strong both in and around this well. Explain.”  
Kagome jumped at his imperious tone. She should have known he would figure out that she left part of it out. She was saved from having to answer however, at the arrival of the rest of the group.  
The two silver haired strangers were behind Sango on Kirara. Shippou and Miroku were only a short way behind. Shippou had expanded and was carrying Miroku in his floating form.  
Once everyone settled into the clearing Sesshomaru focused on Kagome again. “Miko, you will answer this one’s questions. Now.”  
Kagome sighed. She should have known he would be persistent. She was only surprised it had taken him this long to figure it out. It was probably only due to the fact that the inutachi was beneath his notice most days. “Well… it’s a long story but I can make it as brief as possible.”  
She settled in to tell the basics of her story. She only touched on the fundamentals, the travel to and from the future and the fact that Inuyasha could go back and forth freely as well, also explaining the part the Shikon no tama played in the whole thing. When she was done, all three of the men had varying displays of disbelief on their faces.  
No one spoke for some time, but the two newcomers were starting to get a clearer picture of what might have happened. Neither spoke their thoughts, too preoccupied with what that could mean for getting back to where they came from.


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome looked around at the varying expressions on each of the newcomer’s faces as well as Sesshomaru’s calculating one. In particular Sesshomaru’s. The look he was giving her did not bode well for her being able to get away anytime soon. If they knew anything about him at all it was the fact that he was curious.  
Kagome tried to quickly head off the questions she could already see forming in his mind and turned to the newcomers instead. “Well, now that you each know how you got here and what the well normally does, do you have any ideas on how you might have gotten here?”  
Neither answered right away but Drizzt was the first to finally speak up. “I have an idea what happened now, although it doesn’t help me that much.” He had finally decided to at least accept the help these strangers were offering and see what they could figure out. If he was correct, he would need all the help he could get in returning to his friends.  
“Let me explain what was going on right before I ended up here. I was in the Northern wastelands fighting a strong wizard in his castle that he made from a magical crystal.” Drizzt paused in his story as he took in the confused faces around him.  
Kagome was the first to speak up. “Um, I’m not sure exactly what you are talking about, but it sounds as if you may not be from anywhere around here at all.” Kagome knew better than anyone not to dismiss his story as craziness. Her own bordered on crazy as well and she was living through it.   
If she couldn’t dismiss it however, that meant that there was more going on here then they could easily handle; a fact she hated to dwell on as they already had quite a lot going on with Naraku. Sighing at the mess they were now in she looked back to the stranger. “Did something happen during this fight that might explain how you ended up here?”  
Drizzt could tell these people already had their own burdens to deal with. Each of them bore a seriousness that he only saw in the harshest of conditions. It was especially noteworthy in the young miko. She was too young to have the look in her eyes she currently carried.   
Unfortunately, he knew he would need to work with them if he ever wanted to see his home again. “Yes, the wizard had just sent a spell towards me and I thought I had dodged it. It wasn’t until I was wrapped in the light that I realized it moved with me. The last thing I remember before waking up here was being engulfed in a bright light.”  
Kagome nodded at his explanation. It kind of made sense, especially with the bright light that shot out of the well when he arrived. “Well, even in this day and age wizards aren’t really a thing outside of stories but it does go along with what we saw on this end.” Kagome had only been thinking aloud but realized how depressing that must sound to their guest and quickly added a reassurance. “That doesn’t mean that there is no hope though!”  
Drizzt gave her a small smile. He appreciated the fact that she was trying to keep his hope alive. “I am not ready to give up hope yet. It just looks like it won’t happen right away is all.”  
Kagome blushed at the smile he sent her way. He was stunning to begin with, but she hadn’t really noticed until his face softened. Glancing around she realized all three of the additions to her normal group were beyond beautiful. With that thought it was more than her miko senses getting flustered at the men around her.  
Trying to change her focus she turned to the other newcomer. “Did his explanation help you figure out how you got here too?”  
Sephiroth had listened to the other man’s explanation with skepticism. The fact that no one had yet questioned his sanity made him wonder in what kind of place he found himself. It didn’t help that the girl’s story was just as strange. Magic without materia was unheard of.   
None of this helped him solve his own issues. He was even having a tough time remembering what he was doing before he woke up in that hut, however it was easy for him to figure out that they were helping him. The fact that his abdomen was still sore was a stiff reminder. With that in mind he did try to answer her question.   
“None of what you have already gone over could be the reasons for my appearance. Where I’m from magic doesn’t work that way.” To better illustrate what he was talking about he pulled out one of the materia that had been embedded in his forearm. “Using these materia is the only way I can access magic.”  
The rest of the group was now staring at him with looks varying from curiosity to disbelief. He allowed the materia to sink back into his skin, while trying to ignore the gasps from some of the group.  
Everyone was silent for some time. Each was trying to wrap their heads around how these two men that were so different from each other and from the rest of them had ended up here at the same time. It was too weird to be a coincidence.  
This time it was Sesshomaru that broke the silence. “You have explained your differences, but you have not yet stated how you might have arrived here. This one would like to hear your reasons.”  
Sephiroth looked over at the man that was giving him a sharp look. He had hoped he wouldn’t need to elaborate since he was still trying to piece it together. He didn’t have any trust for these strangers and that one in particular made his hackles rise. It didn’t seem as if he was going to allow him to skirt the issue though, since every eye was on him again.  
He finally reasoned that it couldn’t hurt to expand a little. With the shape he was in he knew he would have a hard time fighting his way out with the other two silver haired warriors nearby. Not to mention, he needed answers as much as any of them. A fact he hated admitting, even to himself, but a fact nonetheless.  
“I am having some difficulties remembering the time right before I woke up, which is why I haven’t had much to say about it. I was on a mission. I remember the first part of the mission but after a visit from a… friend of mine, things get fuzzy. Most of the things that I do remember don’t make any sense.”  
Kagome gave him a look of concern following his admission. He was the only one injured out of the two and this on top of the injuries had her worried about just what had happened to him.   
Sephiroth noted her look of concern but turned away to address the other males. The last thing he needed or wanted was anyone’s pity. “I will try to sort out my memories to see if I can remember anything relevant. In the meantime, can we focus on how to make the well work to get us back?”  
Kagome had not noticed his rejection of her concern, but it hadn’t escaped the notice of her companions. Each of them felt bad for the young miko but felt a certain amount of relief that she was sometimes oblivious to the harsher aspects of life.  
For Kagome, she had been too busy worrying about the well in general to worry too much about the older man dismissing her concern. She had not told any of them that she had been shut out of the well right before they arrived. She half hoped the problem was because it had been hijacked briefly for whatever magics had brought the two of them. If she was stuck on this side of the well permanently now, she wasn’t sure how she would handle that.  
For now, she knew she had to share everything she knew. She was sure they would be just as distressed to be stuck here as well. “Well, first we need to make sure it works at all right now. I didn’t mention it earlier, but I tried to use it to go home right before you both arrived, and it hadn’t worked at all.”  
At her announcement, everyone in the clearing tensed. Her companions worried about her not being able to go home and the newcomers worried about getting home themselves. They had not figured out the exact way each had arrived or what part the well played in it, but the well seemed to be the central element to it all and thus the most likely suspect to get them home as well.  
Sesshomaru was the only one to look unaffected by the news. He didn’t have a personal stake in any of this. The only reason he was still around was to satisfy his curiosity. The things he had learned about the miko this day made so many things that she said or did make sense. He was also curious about the strangers. They were both unusual and Sesshomaru was always curious to find out new information, especially if it had to do with possibly expanding his own power base.  
“Miko, this one suggests that you try it now. It will allow us to know where we are starting from, correct? If you do make it through, you can simply come back. It should be able to work that way, no?”   
Kagome was startled by Sesshomaru’s suggestion, but she immediately rolled her eyes at herself. It made the most sense as a place to start. “Of course! If it does work, I’ll be right back.”  
She moved to the well and gave her friends a quick smile. She was a little nervous and it showed in the shaking of her hands. She wasn’t sure if it would be better to work or not. If it didn’t work, then they were all stuck back at square one. If it did however, would it work for her to get back to her friends here? She had never felt so uncomfortable with the workings of the magical well she had always taken for granted after her first trip back and forth.  
With a last nod to herself she pushed off to fall into the well. A feeling of relief engulfed her as the familiar blue light rose up to surround her. She closed her eyes until she felt herself land lightly at the bottom of the well. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the well house roof above her.  
She quickly climbed out of the well and headed to her family’s house. It was already early evening, so she was lucky enough for her whole family to be sitting down for dinner when she arrived.  
“Mom, Souta, Grandpa, I’m home!” Her brother was the first to jump up and give her a hug, followed by her mother.   
“Kagome, you made it just in time for dinner. I had hoped you would be able to make it back today.” Kagome looked longingly at the dinner set on the table. She wanted nothing more than to sit down with her family and forget her troubles in the past. She knew she couldn’t though. There were several people that were still probably standing around the well waiting for her to return and worried that she might not be able to. Something she was worried about as well.  
She gave her mother a sad smile and another hug. “I’m sorry mom, I can’t stay. There is some stuff going on that I have to help with, but I wanted to see you for a minute before I go back. I miss you guys so much sometimes.”  
Kagome’s mother gave her a worried look at this. She knew there was some danger involved with Kagome’s trips to the past, even if Kagome never elaborated. It was a given for the situation. She still didn’t like it when things unexpectedly came up like this. She understood that people depended on her daughter though and didn’t try to keep her. “I understand dear. Can you try to come back soon though? We miss you too.”  
Kagome gave her mother another smile as she walked around to hug her grandfather goodbye. “Of course, I’ll come back as soon as I can!” She ruffled Souta’s hair as she walked out. She gave her family one last wave and headed back to the well house.  
Now that she was on her way to go back she raised a silent prayer to whatever kami might be listening that she hadn’t just lied to her family. She hoped the well really was working.  
She was just as nervous approaching it this time as she had been coming here. Knowing that she would only get her answers by jumping she finally took a leap of faith. She was even more relieved than she had been earlier when the blue light enveloped her once again.  
When she touched down she looked up to see several faces looking down into the well. She started on her way up but was helped the rest of the way by Drizzt. His assistance surprised her. She was thankful for it though and gave him a smile to show it.  
Once she was on her feet outside the well she looked around at the motley crowd that surrounded her. She now knew the well would work for her at least but it was time to see if it would get the rest of them back home. “So, I was able to get home and back, as you can see. Would either of you like to try it now and see if that’s all it takes to get you home.”  
Surprisingly they both hesitated. Drizzt finally stepped forward first. “If it works I will be headed right back into a battle, but I can’t leave my friends any longer if there is a way for me to return.”  
Kagome stepped aside and gave him another smile. She had barely gotten to know him, but he had been polite and even a little kind. She hoped he would be able to return to the people he cared about.  
Drizzt filled the spot Kagome had just been in. Before he jumped he turned one last time. “If this works, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help up till now. May the rest of your journey be fruitful.” With those parting words he jumped in the well as he had seen Kagome do.  
The remaining people, except for Sephiroth and Sesshomaru, all went running to the well when they heard a hard thunk. Kagome was the first to look down into the well and was partially disappointed to find Drizzt still sitting at the bottom. Apparently, it had not worked as easily for him after all.  
He had a chagrined look on his face as Kagome leaned over to help him back out again. “Well, that eliminates the option of just jumping back in. So, what should our next move be?”  
No one moved right away at Drizzt’s pronouncement. Sephiroth in particular wasn’t in any mood to try it for himself. What he was able to remember had him wondering if it would be best for him not to go back right away, so he focused on the current predicament instead.  
They were all surprised to hear Sesshomaru speak up finally. “This one has an extensive library in the Western shiro, including many books on magic. This one would invite you to peruse them if you would be willing to share your knowledge.”  
Kagome and the rest of her companions were floored by his offer. Sesshomaru never went out of his way to help others, unless it was Rin. He wasn’t even nice to Jaken. When they looked to the two newcomers though, it looked as if they were considering his offer.  
Kagome stepped forward at that point. She knew that they needed to find and defeat Naraku as soon as possible, but it had been a fruitless search so far. If Sesshomaru really had a library that large, it might be worth it for her to investigate as well. She gave a low bow before speaking. “Sesshomaru-sama, would you be willing to extend that offer to myself as well? I can answer any questions you might have about the well. I can also offer certain knowledge of my time.”  
She knew she couldn’t tell him things about history that hadn’t happened yet, but she could share other knowledge. She also didn’t have to point out that she was leaving things out.  
Sesshomaru was taken aback by her forward request but he had to admit that the thought of having knowledge of the future was as appealing as any other knowledge he might be able to glean from the strangers. He finally gave her a short nod. “This one would allow your presence as well as long as you do not bring the kit or Inuyasha. This one does not need the shiro disrupted any more than necessary.”  
Kagome gave him a big smile when he agreed. She was only put out a little bit by his request and knew that if she wanted to go she would have to do as he asked.  
By now the other two understood the gravity of the invitation, if only by the reactions of the others in the group. They both looked at the expressionless man and wondered what his position was exactly. It was easy to see he was someone of importance by the deference afforded him and by his own mannerisms.  
Sephiroth finally stepped forward. “I am unsure if we will find the answers there or not but given the circumstances it would seem to be the best place to start. I will agree.”  
At Sephiroth’s agreement Drizzt spoke up as well. “I agree with him. Trying to find out what happened and learning all we can in the meantime is probably our best course of action.”  
Miroku and Sango were not thrilled that Kagome had asked to go as well and even less thrilled at the prospect of not being allowed to go with her. Before any more arrangements were made, Sango finally spoke up. “Kagome-san, I understand your need to try to find Naraku, but is this the best way?”  
Kagome gave her a slight smile. “I know you’re worried Sango, but I’ll be alright. I trust Sesshomaru to keep his word and as long as I’m a welcomed guest at his shiro, he will make sure nothing happens to me.”  
They had been speaking in low voices, but it didn’t stop Sesshomaru from hearing. “This one would never allow harm to come to an honored guest. Put aside your fears taijiya, or do you plan to insult this one?”  
Sango knew better than to insult the arrogant daiyoukai, so she gave him a bow and her reassurances. “I know you would never allow harm to come to those in your care. Please forgive any perceived insult and know that it was only spoken out of care for my heart-sister.”  
Sesshomaru only responded with a ‘hn’ and turned to the others. “If you would travel with this one come now.” He turned and started out of the clearing, not waiting to see if any of them followed.  
Kagome remembered her bag was still back in the village and she wanted to reassure Kaede. “Sesshomaru-sama, could I please go back to the village and get my things first?”  
The look he gave her was venomous, but he finally responded with his normal hn. They had all learned by this point that was as close as he would come to an agreement. Kagome gave him a bow and her thanks, quickly turning to Sango again. “Could you please fly me back with Kirara, so it won’t take long?”  
Sango didn’t want to help her heart-sister leave them like this, but she knew it was going to happen one way or another, so she agreed. She also knew it was not a good thing to keep a daiyoukai waiting. “Let’s go.”  
Sango left Miroku and Shippou back in the clearing and took Kagome to get her things. While they flew Kagome left her messages with Sango. “Sango, thank you for being understanding about this. I promise I won’t stay gone too long and I hope to find something while I’m there. Also, you might not want to tell that baka, Inuyasha where I’ve gone. There is no telling what he might do where Sesshomaru is concerned.”  
Sango nodded her agreement to that last statement. Inuyasha had a bad temper on the best of days and if it concerned his half-brother, things almost always got out of hand. They finished their ride there quietly going over things.   
When they arrived, Kagome thanked Kaede again for her help with the stranger and told her she would be back as soon as she could. She didn’t tell her she was going with Sesshomaru and the strangers as it would only worry the elder miko.  
The trip to the village and back had been a relatively quick one with Sango and Kirara. When they touched back down in the clearing Kagome gave both Sango and Shippou a quick hug goodbye.  
Once she was done with all her preparations she hurried to Sesshomaru’s side. The look he gave her showed his impatience. Once she joined the group they all took off without another word. Kagome only looked back once to send another wave goodbye to her friends.


	4. Chapter 4

The group had followed Sesshomaru for some time in complete silence. That silence was finally broken when the two men in the group picked up light laughter and the smell of others. It took Kagome longer, since her senses were not as highly developed but when she heard the laughter her face broke out in a smile.  
As soon as they entered the clearing the strangers were startled at the sight of a little girl throwing herself at Sesshomaru. After Rin’s happy squeals and greetings for him her face turned to the others. Her eyes widened at the sight of the strange men, but her face quickly turned to a smile again as she saw Kagome. “Kagome-sama! Yay, did you come to play with Rin?”  
Kagome couldn’t help but chuckle at her exuberance. Seeing the little girl that traveled with Sesshomaru served to ease her worries a little. It was a helpful reminder that he wasn’t the same ‘hate all humans’ youkai he once was. He still held a strong disdain for most humans, but he didn’t kill every one of them he saw now.  
She scooped the girl up in a hug and returned her smile. “Actually, I’m going to be traveling with you and Sesshomaru for a little while.”  
At that announcement there was another happy squeal from the little girl. “Rin is happy that you get to travel with us! Will you make a flower crown with me?”  
Before Kagome had a chance to answer her Sesshomaru interjected. “Rin, there will be no time for that right now. We are headed to the Western shiro. You will have time for frivolities once we arrive.”  
If the little girl was phased by his statement, she didn’t show it. Instead she jumped out of Kagome’s arms and ran to Ah-Un. After she clambered up into the saddle she turned to Kagome again. “Will you be riding Ah-Un with Rin?”  
Kagome couldn’t help but smile at the precocious girl. “I don’t think we will be flying so I’m ok with walking.” She had finally turned to the others in the group to make a point. She wasn’t entirely surprised to see their confused looks.  
Since Sesshomaru was already walking away, Kagome felt it fell to her to finish the introductions. “Sephiroth-san, Drizzt-san, this is Rin. She is Sesshomaru’s ward.” Their looks of confusion only deepened. She understood, as anyone meeting the daiyoukai for the first time would never guess that he had the ability to have a soft spot for anyone, much less a child like Rin.  
Kagome only smiled at them before continuing. “The kappa on the other side of Ah-Un is Jaken. He is one of Sesshomaru’s retainers.”   
At this introduction Jaken finally turned to acknowledge her. “You shouldn’t talk so familiarly of the great Lord Sesshomaru. How could a puny human like you even begin to understand his…”  
Jaken’s rant was interrupted by a harsh reprimand from Sesshomaru. “Jaken, these people are this one’s guests. You will treat them with respect.” Jaken scraped and bowed to Sesshomaru to show he was following directions. It still didn’t stop the imp from giving the additions to their group a scathing look.  
They continued on is silence for another hour before Kagome had enough of it. She didn’t like long silences anyway, but she was also wrestling with her curiosity about the newcomers. She finally gave in and caught up to Drizzt.   
She was curious about both men but Drizzt had been kind, while Sephiroth intimidated her almost as much as Sesshomaru. She tried to keep her voice low even if she knew it wouldn’t do much good with all the people that probably had enhanced hearing. “Drizzt-san, would you like some company?”  
She gave him what she hoped was a friendly smile. He gave her a small smile in return, but she could still see the lines of worry across his brow. “Would it help if you tell me a little bit about your friends?”  
Drizzt couldn’t help but smile a little wider at her request. This young woman reminded him a little of Cattie Brie in her easy acceptance. There was even a little bit of the fire that he knew burned in his friend. Although, in this young woman it was tempered.  
He contemplated her question for a moment before answering. Thinking about his situation, and his friend’s situation, was the cause of his distress. He concluded that talking about it might make it easier to bear, since it would keep his mind occupied.  
“I don’t have many friends, but those I do have are special. You remind me of one of them a little actually. Not in the way you look, but she was the first person in the surface world that accepted me, even though most people hate and distrust my race.” He felt a little surreal talking about his life in such a way but something about this girl put him at ease.  
The look she was giving him now wasn’t exactly full of pity, but her smile had turned sad. “I know most humans hate youkai, but it isn’t fair. There are good and bad youkai. Just like there are good and bad humans. I wish there wasn’t such a divide.”  
She had glanced at the man they were following as she spoke, but if he heard her he didn’t indicate it. As Drizzt was contemplating her wish, something she said struck him. “You said something about demons just now and back in the village you told me you would be careful around my youki. Do you believe me to be a demon?”  
Kagome actually stopped at his question. Had she offended him? He didn’t look angry, but his features reflected an old sadness. “I… I apologize if I was wrong. It’s just you… well you know, with the ears and silver hair… I’ve never met a human with those features.”  
Drizzt immediately understood. She hadn’t been comparing him to his race in general and their demonic ways, but just his features. It was still hard to grasp that none of these people knew what a drow was. “I should apologize. I did not mean to make you feel like you have done something wrong. I am not a demon, but I am not human either. I am a drow, a dark elf. My kin normally live in the underdark.”  
Kagome was totally confused now. She didn’t think elves were real, and all the stories she knew of them were light. Tall, thin, blonde, happy and close to nature. That couldn’t be any further than the man in front of her. He was the same height she was, and his ebony skin would not have made her think of elves.  
Before she could open her mouth and embarrass herself further she remembered that he was probably from an entirely different world. Thinking about it made her head hurt. She didn’t even want to think about how the well had accomplished that. It made her uneasy about her own use of it.   
She was going to apologize for her misunderstanding again, but they were interrupted. The insanely tall stranger had fallen back until he was walking even with them. “You said you are not human?”  
Sephiroth had heard the girl approach the shorter man but had not paid much mind to their conversation, at least not until the part about his race. Sephiroth had been too involved with trying to sort out his hazy memories and something about that statement had an alarm going off in his head.  
“No, I’m drow. Why do you ask?” Sephiroth’s brows drew together in a scowl at the smaller man’s answer.  
Kagome butted in at this point, turning to address Sephiroth. “Does that mean you aren’t a hanyou either?”  
This was a term Sephiroth wasn’t familiar with, which didn’t lessen his irritation. It was obvious that the girl believed he was something other than human. Thinking about that made him angrier than it should have. “I am not sure what that means, but if you are asking if I am not human then the answer is… no. I am human.”  
He couldn’t help but pause when he answered. Was he human? As more of his memories returned he recalled going through many documents that Hojo had left in the basement of the mansion in Nibelheim. He didn’t recall everything, but he knew there was something in those documents that made him believe he may not be as human as he had once believed.  
Kagome could tell the taller man was upset about something now and she felt bad. She had assumed he was a hanyou because of his hair and eyes but that might be normal where he came from. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I am sure where you come from silver hair and slit eyes are normal so don’t mind me. It’s just all the people I’ve ever met with those features are at least part youkai.”  
Instead of helping, this statement only made Sephiroth more upset. He knew she wasn’t trying to goad him but realizing the features she pointed out were just as unique as she thought. As he tried to push the thought away another one occurred to him and he couldn’t help but chuckle a little despite his ire.  
“I have been called the Demon of Wutai, but I am not an actual demon.” His face was not as pinched now, and Kagome couldn’t help but shiver a little at the sound of his chuckle. She hadn’t met anyone with such a smooth baritone before.  
As she realized she was still staring at him, her face turned red. She immediately started stumbling over her words. “Ah, ok. I apologize again. I should have known better than to make assumptions, especially where that well is concerned.”  
Her mention of the well had both men frowning again. Thinking about the circumstances that landed each of them in this place was not pleasant for either of them. Kagome realized she had probably done enough damage and tried not to blush in shame as she excused herself.  
Neither man said anything again as they watched her make her way to the young girl riding the strange two-headed dragon, too preoccupied to even wonder at all the strange things they’d seen so far.  
Kagome was only making small talk with Rin, asking about the things she had learned and such. She was only paying partial attention to the young girl as most of her attention was still on their strange companions, no matter how hard she tried to refocus.  
She was finally saved from her distraction by Sesshomaru stopping. All eyes turned to him as he turned to them all. “We will make camp here tonight. Jaken, prepare the fire. This one will return shortly.”  
Jaken instantly jumped to do Sesshomaru’s bidding. The rest watched as the daiyoukai disappeared into the forest. Rin was already off Ah-Un and looking around the clearing.  
The girl turned to Kagome with a smile when she found a small patch of wildflowers. “Kagome, look at the pretty blue flowers! Would you help Rin make a crown now?”  
Kagome felt bad, but she knew they couldn’t leave everything up to Jaken. “Maybe later Rin. We need to get camp set up. I am sure Sesshomaru will be back with food soon. If you want to help me look for some herbs, I bet we can get done quicker.”  
She knew Sesshomaru was probably hunting but she doubted he would think about things like seasonings, especially since he probably ate his own meat raw most of the time. Rin gave Kagome a happy smile at being included. Before she took Rin into the forest though she made sure Jaken had what he needed for the fire.  
The imp was less than happy for her to be talking to him but was only mildly rude as he waved off her assistance. “Lord Sesshomaru tasked me with completing the fire. I don’t need help from the likes of you.”  
His attitude drew a glare from Drizzt, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he offered his own assistance to help Kagome as well. She gave him a bright smile. “Of course, if you don’t mind. Let me show you what to look for. I’m not sure if you would be familiar with things around here.”  
Sephiroth just watched as they disappeared into the woods as well. Once they were gone his attention turned to Jaken. He watched him carefully; his mind focusing fully on the strange beings around him for the first time since his arrival in this strange place. Watching them caused a niggling doubt. Was he more like them than he had originally believed?  
He was already on edge since his memories of the last few days were hazy at best. Learning that he shared traits with actual demons or others that weren’t human only made him more uneasy. He had a feeling he needed to figure out his heritage before he found his way home.  
His introspection was interrupted when Sesshomaru entered the clearing with a large buck draped around his shoulders. Sephiroth couldn’t help but be impressed with how quickly the other man had caught something without any visible weapons and the obvious ease with which he maneuvered the heavy animal around. His assessment that the strange man could be a formidable opponent was proving to be well founded.  
He watched as Sesshomaru looked around the clearing once, noting his furrowed brow. He assumed it was for the missing child so offered an explanation. “They went to gather herbs, at least that is what the young woman had stated.”  
Sesshomaru’s face cleared and gave the taller man a nod in understanding. It wasn’t long after this that the other three reentered the clearing as well. The young woman was smiling at the girl and patting her head in appreciation.  
“Oh, Sesshomaru-sama, you’re back. We gathered some herbs that should complement what you’ve been kind enough to bring us.” Kagome gave him a small bow to show her appreciation and waited for his response.  
“Hn.” He gave his typical response and turned to Jaken. “Prepare the meat to cook. The miko will handle the meal.”  
Jaken bowed again and started dressing the deer. Once it was ready Kagome made sure to offer the first selection to Sesshomaru and then worked with Drizzt to prepare the rest for everyone else. They worked with very little talk between them.   
Since they worked together it didn’t take long until they had the meat on a makeshift spit over the fire. Kagome was impressed with how quick and efficient Drizzt worked. He hadn’t needed any additional instructions once they started working.  
It wasn’t long until everyone was fed. Once they were done Rin curled up next to Kagome while the miko sang her a lullaby she often sang to Shippou. Thinking about the kit she had adopted made Kagome a little sad. She knew she had chosen to go with Sesshomaru on her own, but it didn’t make missing her friends any easier. She even missed Inuyasha a little.  
By this time Rin had fallen asleep next to her. She glanced over at Sesshomaru to see if he wanted to move the young girl, but he was preoccupied with surreptitiously watching the other two. Understanding at least a little bit of his curiosity she turned back to Rin instead. She gently lifted her and took her to lay next to the sleeping Ah-Un. She had her own sleeping roll, so she pulled it out and lay down next to the girl.  
She watched the three men sitting around the fire. Her last thoughts before falling to sleep were filled with theories on how they arrived and, much more importantly, how they were to get them back.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day had them back on the path to the shiro just after dawn. Kagome was pleased to note that the men all seemed used to getting up early so the only problems came with Rin. It was easy enough to get her onto Ah-Un though, so they were moving quickly.  
Kagome spent the morning with Rin. As curious as she still was, she couldn’t help but be a little nervous after the discussion they had the day before. It didn’t help that she was really starting to understand the position she had put herself in. All three males were beyond attractive, and more importantly, dangerous. She doubted Sesshomaru would bother her, she was still human after all, but she didn’t know anything about the other two. Drizzt had been kind and even helpful so far but that didn’t mean much; only time would tell if that was his true personality. Sephiroth only got more intimidating.  
As the day wore on Kagome found that she was thankful for having had to travel with Inuyasha for the past months. If it weren’t for the fact that he constantly pushed their group to move as fast and as far as they could each day then she didn’t think she would have been able to keep up with Sesshomaru. Drizzt and Sephiroth didn’t seem to have any problem keeping up and Rin was riding Ah-Un, so she was fine. Jaken was stumbling a little here and there but it seemed his fear of being left behind made sure that he kept up. It was only Kagome that had a problem. She wasn’t about to speak up though. Just the thought of what Sesshomaru would say about weak humans made her grit her teeth and keep walking.  
It was well past midday when Drizzt finally spoke up. “Excuse me, Sesshomaru, I think it would be a good idea for us to stop to rest.” His voice was unassuming, and it was clear he didn’t need the rest. He caught Kagome’s eye and gave her a smile when Sesshomaru turned around.   
“This one does not require rest.” He started to turn around and keep walking, but he saw the look Drizzt was giving him, pointedly looking between him and Kagome. Sesshomaru looked the miko over and found that it did seem as though she might need a rest. He felt a touch of disdain at how weak she obviously was, but it was tempered by the fact she hadn’t complained. He grudgingly admitted, to himself at least, that she had spirit.  
He didn’t bother saying anything, he just turned and walked to lean against a tree close by. Kagome knew he hadn’t wanted to stop but was thankful that he had. They hadn’t been resting long when Sesshomaru stood suddenly. His head turned the direction they had been coming from, unable to suppress a snarl. He didn’t look angry, mostly irritated. The reason why quickly presented itself when Inuyasha ran into the clearing where they stopped with the Tessaiga already drawn. “Alright you bastard, hand Kagome over!”  
Kagome couldn’t help but roll her eyes. It only surprised her that it had taken him this long to figure out where she had gone. That didn’t mean she was going to let him interfere. “Sit Inuyasha!” She didn’t even bother trying to reason with him.   
Sesshomaru had a smug smile having seen this before and never tiring of it. The rest of the group looked on in surprise when the hanyou hit the ground face first. Their surprise was only deepened at the words of the tiny woman when she walked over to kneel next to him. “I really am sorry Inuyasha, but I chose this. Your brother has already stated he doesn’t want you there and I need to take this opportunity to try and find something to help us fight Naraku. I promise I won’t be long so don’t worry.”  
“What the hell woman! You didn’t have to sit me!” Inuyasha’s voice was muffled as he was still face down in the dirt.  
“You were trying to pick a fight with Sesshomaru and he has nothing to do with this. Please don’t follow us, it’ll only cause issues.” Kagome felt bad for telling him not to follow but she knew this was one thing she couldn’t even ask Sesshomaru to bend on, at least not if she wanted to keep her head attached.  
By this time Inuyasha had managed to get to his feet. He didn’t bother arguing anymore, he just grabbed Kagome and shoved her behind him. Drizzt almost moved to help the young woman but stopped when he saw the tension between the two men that it seemed were brothers. He could understand having animosity with your siblings very well but in this case, it didn’t seem to be for a reason he could grasp.  
Sesshomaru hadn’t bothered drawing one of the swords at his waist. Instead he had his poison whip out, not believing he needed anything more to deal with Inuyasha. Before either Inuyasha or Sesshomaru were able to move, Kagome’s voice rang out loudly. “Sit, Sit, Sit! I told you this was my choice!” She didn’t feel nearly as bad about sitting Inuyasha this time. He was so hard headed sometimes. She huffed at his downed body and then turned back to Sesshomaru. She gave him a bow before speaking up. “I apologize for that Sesshomaru-sama. Can we please be on our way now? He is likely to be down for some time.”  
Sesshomaru raised a brow at the tiny woman’s obvious temper. His only response to her request was a ‘hn’ before turning to continue on the way. The other two were flabbergasted by the whole exchange. It wasn’t until the hanyou yelled at Kagome’s retreating back that they moved to follow again.  
Kagome could hear Inuyasha alternating between yelling threats and pleading for her to stop. She still felt a little bad for leaving him behind, but she pointedly turned away from him and raised her nose. She wanted him to realize she didn’t always need him to take care of her.  
It had been an hour since their encounter with Inuyasha and Kagome was still listening to see if he followed. Every noise in the bushes had her jumping, ready to sit the hanyou again if needed. It was as she was calming from one of those scares that Drizzt finally approached her. “What kind of magic did you use to bind that man?”  
Kagome didn’t understand what he was asking at first, since she didn’t have any magical abilities. It wasn’t until she played the sentence back through her head and listened to the context that she realized he was talking about the subjugation beads. “Oh, well it isn’t really magic. He has on a set of subjugation beads that I can activate with my miko abilities.”  
Drizzt raised an eyebrow at that. “Subjugation? As in you can control him with them?” The thought left him feeling uncomfortable. He was having a hard time trying to figure out if she was evil or not. His thoughts were not much assuaged when she answered.  
“Oh no, I can’t exactly control him. No one can really, but they do allow me to keep him in line when his hard head won’t let him listen to reason.” Kagome was completely unaware of how the thought of someone being controlled in such a fashion bothered the ranger.  
Sephiroth had been walking behind them and was curious about how she had accomplished laying the rowdy male out as well. He had never seen anything like it. He wondered if something like that might have a practical use in battle but dismissed the idea when he realized she had used the beads the man had been wearing as the vehicle of the command. It wasn’t practical as getting close enough to put them on a person could prove fatal for most people and he didn’t need anything like that to defeat a foe.  
The conversation ground to a halt as Sesshomaru stopped in front of them all. The three people that didn’t normally travel with him looked around in confusion as there didn’t seem to be much around. The confusion turned to wonder as Sesshomaru held out a hand. The air in front of him shimmered away from where his hand was in ripples until what looked to be an archway opened up. It looked almost the same on the other side, but they could see the gates of a traditional style castle nearby. They all had to look up to the clear horizon and back through the archway several times before they understood what they were seeing. Even Kagome, who was familiar with barriers and how they functioned, had never encountered a barrier so complete and undetectable.  
Once the arch was formed Sesshomaru lead them towards the massive wooden gates. Kagome had to look back as the last of their group passed through the arch. She watched as it shrank and disappeared. Once it was gone it was impossible for her to detect the barrier, even from the inside. She looked back to the male that was leading them with an appraising look. She had known he was powerful, but this was leagues beyond even Naraku’s barriers. She wasn’t about to say that to the daiyoukai though. She was positive he wouldn’t appreciate the comparison.  
When they approached the gates Sesshomaru didn’t even need to pause. They had already started opening when he got close. When the group passed through the gates behind Sesshomaru they were amazed again at the line of servants that lined the approach to the shiro, all heads bowed in either respect or fear. Even Sephiroth, who was used to pomp, had never seen the like. He was forced to admit that the male was even more important than he had first suspected. He barely held back a chuckle when the thought occurred to him to compare Sesshomaru to President Shinra. While this male was easily identifiable as important for this location, he was still powerful, even without having a government to lead. There was no comparison.  
Kagome had been looking around in awe but the sudden outbreak of whispering when the rest of the group entered the gates caught her attention. The servants hadn’t stood yet, as Sesshomaru hadn’t reached the open doors of the shiro, however they were stealing surreptitious glances at the newcomers. When she caught part of a conversation she had to keep a leash on her anger. They were assuming they group was all human and were less than pleased that their Lord had allowed them to enter. She didn’t say anything, but she did give a few of them glares when they were bold enough to look up and catch her eye. She couldn’t stand the bigotry from this side any more than she could stand it from the side of humans.   
By the time she made it to the doors that Sesshomaru had disappeared into, she had to fight to keep her miko powers under control. The sheer amount of youki permeating the air had it wanting to rise up. It was a little better when the doors closed behind them and blocked out the majority of the youkai that had been outside.  
Once the doors closed they were able to get their first look around. The entrance hall was large and there were several tapestries lining the walls. Each depicting a giant silver dog in various situations. Some were of bloody battles, with the dog standing over the corpses of the fallen enemy. Others were of the dog flying over verdant lands. It was obvious these were just one more way to venerate the Western Lord.  
Kagome was impressed with the understated elegance of most of the shiro as they were being lead to their rooms by the servants Sesshomaru had assigned them before wandering off with Rin and Jaken at his heals. Only a few things were so ostentatious as to make her want to roll her eyes, one of which she was extremely happy to see. They were being given rooms in the guest wing usually reserved for visiting Lords and Ladies, a fact that surprised Kagome, but it meant that they had all the extras a person could want, including a walled in natural hot springs. It was divided in half by several large boulders, presumably so that both sexes could enjoy at the same time without fear of exposure.  
She was brought out of her review by Drizzt’s quiet voice beside her. “I am noticing a theme here. Is there a reason for all the large white dogs?”  
Kagome couldn’t help but look at him in surprise, her eyes wide. It took her a moment to realize both of these men would probably have no idea what and inu youkai was. “It’s because Sesshomaru is an inu daiyoukai. His father was too, obviously. I’m not sure how far back their line goes but I know they had to be rulers of the western lands for at least 2000 years. I’m pretty sure that’s how old his dad was when he died and that was about 200 years ago, maybe more.”  
Kagome had been rattling on trying to explain things and hadn’t even noticed the two men stop several paces back. She only noticed when she looked up and neither were there. When she looked back they both wore identical looks of shock.  
Sephiroth was the first to recover. “Are you saying the man that brought us here is more than two centuries old?”  
“Well, I honestly don’t know how old he is but from what Inuyasha told me he is way older than that. Inuyasha is about 200 so it’s probable that Sesshomaru is much older.” She wasn’t sure why they were so shocked about the daiyoukai’s age when they really had not had a problem assimilating the fact that he was a youkai in the first place. “Most youkai are really long lived. Those at the daiyoukai level like Sesshomaru are practically immortal.” That thought gave her pause as she was sure she hadn’t really seen any youkai in the modern age, except for those that were brought over. Shrugging the thought off she told herself she might need to examine that fact at a later time. For now, she had to deal with the two men that still hadn’t moved.  
Drizzt had an easier time coming to grips with it. His own race was so long lived, most of the mortals he knew would be dead, reborn, and dead again before he aged enough to pass on as well. Finding another race that was similar should not surprise him.  
Sephiroth on the other hand was being forced to reevaluate the world around him once again. If there were races out there that could live to be millennia old, especially races that had things in common with him, what did that mean for his own future. Was he really destined to live so long and die alone. He didn’t have many friends but the thought of outliving them all made even his heart clench.  
He was forced out of his thoughts by the hand of the miko. She had laid it on his arm in a comforting gesture. The glare he almost leveled her way was stopped when he saw the sincere concern in her eyes. She wasn’t treating him like a monster or a hero, just a man that needed comfort. It was an unusual reaction; one that he found he appreciated more than he expected to. It seemed the naivety that seemed to surround the girl was outweighed by good instincts when it mattered. Good instincts were something he could admire; there were times in a battlefield that instincts could keep you alive even when all your training failed. He surprised everyone there, himself included, when he gave her the first smile to grace his lips since he arrived in this strange world.   
Kagome hadn’t been aware that the tall man could get any more attractive than he already was, but she was proved wrong when he smiled down at her. She was so flustered that it took the servant that had been guiding them at least two tries to get her attention. “Lady Miko, please, if you would follow me?”  
Kagome felt her face flush red but didn’t say a thing, instead turning to follow the servant, hoping that the men were keeping up. It wasn’t much longer until they arrived at the guest rooms. They were all in similar rooms near each other. When Kagome opened the doors to hers she couldn’t help but gasp. It was large enough to fit Kaede’s hut into a couple of times over. The futon in the center of the room looked fluffy and comfortable. There was also a large wardrobe along one wall. When she opened it, she was surprised to find it was already filled with a multitude of silken kimonos. Putting off thinking about if she was going to be expected to wear those she decided it was late and she could worry about it in the morning.  
When she got in bed her mind wouldn’t shut down. Having so much empty space around her had her missing her traveling companions. They could have all fit on the futon with room to spare… well all but Miroku. There would never be enough room on any futon for a female when it came to the pervy monk.   
She was also worried about her recent traveling companions. She really hoped it wouldn’t take them long to figure out how they could get back home. Add all that to her worries about Naraku and it meant that it was late when she was finally able to drift off to sleep, despite the comfort she found herself in.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the updates for this one are a lot slower than my others. I am fighting through the next few scenes trying to get to the more exciting stuff. This is all good for story development though. I will do my best to update faster than I have been but this one is not cooperating much. I hope this is good enough to tide you over until the really good stuff starts. Enjoy!

## Chapter 6

Kagome was awoken by the smell of food.  When she opened her eyes, she found one of the servants was bustling around the room, gathering up the garments she would need to get dressed.  A tray with breakfast was already sitting on a small table to the side of the room.  Kagome greeted the small youkai that looked to possibly be a kitsune, if the three tails were anything to go by.  The woman didn’t meet her gaze, bowing instead and asking if Kagome needed anything.

The whole scene had Kagome feeling uncomfortable.  She wasn’t used to being waited on.  “Thank you for asking but you’ve already brought breakfast so I’m good.  The only question I have is if Sesshomaru has set up a time for us to meet him, so we can start our research.”

The youkai bowed again, looking regretful.  “No, my Lady, Lord Sesshomaru has only asked that we provide you with anything you need today and has further asked for you to all meet him for dinner.”

Kagome barely managed to hold in her irritation.  Of course, it was just like the arrogant dog to not think their time was valuable too.  Before she could say something that might cause problems an idea occurred to her.  “Then, would you be able to guide us to the library?”

She could tell the youkai was hesitant so pushed forward before she could be denied.  “He did say to take care of our needs, right?  Unless he specifically asked you not to take us I don’t see why it would be a problem.  That is really all we need right now.”

Kagome could tell the kitsune was still hesitant but finally she agreed.  “Yes, my Lady, I would be honored to guide you.  As soon as you have finished preparing for the day I will take you there.  Will the two Lords be joining you?”

Kagome was happy that it hadn’t taken more effort.  She just hoped it wouldn’t make Sesshomaru too angry.  “Yes, please.  That is why we are all here after all.”

“Very well.  I will return shortly to assist you in preparing for the day.”  The kitsune bowed out of the room before Kagome could object.  She didn’t need any help in getting dressed and she hoped the request didn’t mean she would be forced into one of the kimonos.

It didn’t take her long to finish her breakfast, but the youkai female was back before she was done.  She had immediately moved to the wardrobe, opening it up, before turning back to Kagome.  “My Lady, which color would you like to wear today?”

Kagome felt like stamping her foot.  Of course, Sesshomaru would expect her to wear one of those unwieldy things.  “I have my own clothes.  I don’t need to wear one of those.”

This time the youkai barely contained a frown.  “No disrespect my Lady, but the items you were wearing yesterday cannot be worn within the Shiro.  It would be improper and disrespectful to the Western Lord.  Please let me know which of these you would prefer.”

Kagome was fuming but she had looked around and found that her uniform was not in the room.  She didn’t have a choice but to don one of the kimonos and she didn’t like it at all.  Grudgingly she went through the selections, finally settling on a solid green kimono with a gold obi.  It was the simplest one in the group, but it was still more than she was used to dealing with.  Between her awkwardness and barely concealed dislike for the process, it took them some time to finish getting everything on. When the woman moved to start on Kagome’s hair she finally put her foot down.  “I don’t need my hair put up.  It’s brushed out and that will have to be good enough.  I am sure the others are waiting for me anyway.”

The youkai bowed back reluctantly.  “Of course, my Lady.  If you would follow me, please.”

When they entered the hallway, Kagome wasn’t surprised to see Sephiroth and Drizzt waiting toward the end, talking quietly with each other.  She was surprised to see them also wearing a more traditional style.  Their haoris wear nearly matching and made her think immediately of Sesshomaru.  They didn’t have the same distinctive pattern on the shoulder, but they were white with red accents.  Kagome had to stop and gather her wits before approaching them.  She could already tell this could be distracting if she didn’t keep her mind on what was important.

Once she felt she could look at them both without blushing she made her way over with a bright smile.  “I’m glad to see I wasn’t the only one bullied into wearing this.”  She noted that both men still had their weapons strapped to their sides though.

Both men turned her way at her greeting.  Sephiroth still looked aloof but he returned her greeting with a polite nod.  Drizzt returned her smile.  “They were quite insistent that this would be the only acceptable thing to wear.  I’ve never seen anything like it, but it isn’t uncomfortable.”

“I’m not used to wearing them much either.  Your hakama may be comfortable enough but this kimono is killing me.” 

Their conversation was interrupted by the woman that had been helping Kagome.  “My Lady, my Lords, if you would please follow me I will guide you to the library now.”

They all three turned at that and quietly followed the kitsune through the shiro.  Kagome noted that there were many youkai throughout the building, she could feel their youki, but they didn’t see any of them as they passed through.  She wondered if it was because they were trying to avoid the humans or if Sesshomaru had told everyone to leave them alone.  Either way, she was glad she didn’t have to worry about random run-ins with rude youkai.  After their entrance yesterday, she would be happy not to see another youkai before she left.

When they finally made it to the library, Kagome found that she was at a loss for words.  When Sesshomaru had said his library was extensive he had not exaggerated.  There were shelves along each wall and several more sections separated by more shelves lined with books and scrolls.  Each section had either a small table with seating pillows or comfortable looking nooks that had lamps surrounding them.  It was obvious that this entire room was made for reading, whether for pleasure or research.

She absently thanked the female that had guided them before wandering in between the shelves.  She had completely forgotten the two men that had entered with her as she looked around.  She was hesitant to touch the scrolls until she found out more, so for now she looked at all the book titles she could find.  She was surprised to see a great many in languages other than Japanese.  She wondered if Sesshomaru could read them, although it wouldn’t surprise her if he could.  He had lived long enough already that it shouldn’t have been a problem for him to have learned several dozen languages.

She was brought out of her silent revue by a quiet voice.  She was completely taken by surprise to turn and see Sephiroth.  His brow was furrowed but he was polite when he spoke, only being slightly commanding.  “Show me which ones would be pertinent to our search… please.”

Kagome could tell it was hard for him to ask for help.  He came across much like Sesshomaru, arrogant for a good reason.  She was sure he hated admitting there was something he didn’t know.  She gave him a bright smile before answering.  “I can tell you aren’t a native Japanese speaker.  You’re really good though.  How much of the written language can you interpret?”

He gave her a scowl, obviously not wanting to get into it, but finally relented.  “I understand the basics.  I never required more than that.”

She nodded in understanding.  “I thought that might be the case.  I am the same way with Mandarin.  I learned English, but only enough Mandarin to get by.”

Sephiroth couldn’t help but to raise a brow in surprise.  “You can speak several languages?”  He had not been expecting that from such a young woman.  Although he had to admit, he couldn’t be much older.

Kagome blushed a little at his obvious surprise.  “Well, I can speak two pretty fluently, but the other, like I said before, I only know the basics.”  She turned at that to keep him from seeing her continuing blush.  She made an effort to focus on her search.  “Let me look around and see what I can find.  There are quite a few here in languages I don’t understand at all, but more than half are in Japanese.”

It didn’t take her long to get wrapped up in her search again, this time keeping an eye out for anything that might help the other two men as well.  She vaguely noted that Drizzt was already seated in one of the nooks as she passed by.  She noticed that most of the books she found were either books on magical theory or on strategy and warfare.  She couldn’t help but chuckle as that fact didn’t really surprise her.  After about an hour she finally found a couple that looked like they could help and sat with Sephiroth pointing at the first book.  “This one is about barrier magic, something I need to know more about, and the other is about magic portals.  That second one sounds like a good place to start for you.  If you would like I can read it out loud?”

At her request Sephiroth gave her an unreadable look before nodding his head.  He realized if he was to make any progress he had to admit when he still had something to learn and take the opportunity to learn it.  He moved to sit closer to her, so he could read as she spoke but paused.  As socially inept as he could be he realized sitting so close could make her uncomfortable.  “Do you mind if I sit close enough to try and read while you speak.  It will improve my overall understanding of the language.”

Kagome couldn’t help but blush again but managed to give him a nod.  “Sure.  If you find something you would like me to explain about the language I would be happy to help.”

With her permission he moved close enough to see clearly when she sat the book down between them, but not so close as to make her uncomfortable.  If he noted that she had to start twice before she really started reading clearly, he didn’t mention it.

Kagome had been reading for some time when they were interrupted by the sight of Sesshomaru walking into the nook they were occupying.  She had to swallow twice at the look on his face.  She was beginning to wonder if she had made the right decision.  Her thoughts on self-preservation were interrupted by Sesshomaru’s low voice.  “What is the meaning of this miko?”

She couldn’t hold in a nervous laugh before answering.  “Ah… well you did say we could go through your library, so I asked your servant to guide us here.  This is what we’re here for after all.”

Sesshomaru had been listening to the miko read aloud for several minutes before he finally interrupted them.  He had not realized she would be able to read and didn’t have the time to set up assistance on this first day.  He had planned on giving them a guide for the next day.  He had to admit that this tiny human woman continued to surprise him.  He had not ever met another human like her.  “Hn, next time you wish to traverse this one’s shiro make sure you ask for permission first.  For today you may stay.  Tomorrow you will have a servant to assist in your search.”

Kagome couldn’t help but grin up at him.  “Thank you Sesshomaru-sama!  Will you be staying today?”

“This one has other duties to attend to.”  He didn’t bother saying anything else before walking away. 

Kagome felt her irritation rise at his arrogant dismissal but realized she shouldn’t be surprised.  He had to be the most arrogant person she had ever met.  She shook off those thoughts before turning back to Sephiroth.  She noticed he had a slight look of irritation on his face as well.  She had a feeling this man and Sesshomaru had a lot in common.  She was glad he was willing to talk to her at least, especially since they were going to be working together until they could find a way to get these men back home.  She smiled brightly before picking up the book again.  “So, where were we?”

Kagome wasn’t sure how long they had been in the library when they were stopped by the presence of the woman that had helped her that morning.  “My Lady, my Lord, I have brought your midday meal.” 

She hadn’t been paying attention to her stomach until the woman interrupted.  Now that she could smell the food, her stomach let her know it had been some time since breakfast.  “Thank you!  I’m famished.”

The servant bowed again before turning to lead them back to the main area of the library where several trays were set up on a large table.  Kagome noted that Drizzt hadn’t followed them so went to quickly see if he was still where she had seen him earlier.  She found him in the same spot with several more books next him now.  She couldn’t help but be impressed with how efficient he was.  She shook off those thoughts when her stomach growled again, this time loud enough to get the attention of the drow.  “Kagome was there something you needed?”

She blushed slightly as she shook her head.  “I just wanted to let you know there is food for you if you would like to take a break.”

He smiled brightly at her as he got to his feet.  “That sounds wonderful.  I had lost track of time back here.  This is really an amazing place.”

“It’s set up in the front of the library.”  She turned to go back to the meal, Drizzt close behind.

When they were all seated and eating Drizzt turned to Kagome.  “Have you found anything relevant?”

She turned to him with a slight frown.  “I found a book that mentions several different portal type magics that Sephiroth and I have been going through, but so far we haven’t found anything that matches the well.”

He gave her a comforting smile before he spoke.  “Well we have only just started so it isn’t surprising.  We would have had to be incredibly lucky to find what we needed right off.  Maybe Sesshomaru will join us tomorrow and be able to point us in the right direction.”

Kagome couldn’t help the frown that came up at the mention of the arrogant daiyoukai.  “I doubt he will bother, at least not until he wants to start interrogating us.  He said he will have someone to help us though.”

Sephiroth had been silent through the exchange but finally spoke up.  “You don’t seem to like our host very much.  If that is the case, why did you ask to come?”

Kagome couldn’t help but feel a little bad at his question.  She didn’t dislike Sesshomaru, he had quit trying to kill them all some time ago.  That didn’t mean she trusted him completely.  She was pretty sure he still wanted Tessaiga.  She tried to put it into words for the others.  “It’s a long story but I can give you the basics.  The first time I met Sesshomaru he tried to kill me.  He was trying to get one of the swords that his father had left when he died.  When we found it Sesshomaru couldn’t touch it because it had a barrier on it that burned him each time he tried.  Inuyasha didn’t fare much better.  He could touch it, but he couldn’t pull it out.  It wasn’t until I touched it that it came loose.  Sesshomaru still couldn’t touch it but he tried to melt me and take it anyway.  Eventually Inuyasha got it and used it to cut of Sesshomaru’s arm.  He has been trying to get the sword ever since then.  Ever since he found Rin though, he stopped trying to kill me every time we ran into him.  Inuyasha still picks fights with him but he isn’t as bad.”

When she stopped talking she looked around to see both men had identical looks of shock on their faces.  It was Sephiroth that spoke first.  “How can you trust him?  Do you believe he has reformed?”

Kagome waved his question off with a smile.  “Not at all.  He is still an arrogant dog that would love to get his hands on Tessaiga.  The only reason I asked to come here is because I know if anyone had the information we needed it would be him.  Besides, if he agreed to let me come here I know I will be safe.  Despite the fact that he pretty much hates humans he has a strict code of honor.  If he says something, then he will keep his word.  As long as we are here with his permission he will do all he can to make sure we stay safe.”

At the girl’s talk of honor, Sephiroth felt his heart clench.  The reminder of one of the men he had actually called friend, and of his demise, made him push away from the table.  He barely paused long enough to utter an ‘excuse me’ before walking back into the depths of the room.

Kagome could only follow his retreating form with her eyes.  She wasn’t sure what she had said to hurt the man, but it was obvious he was bothered.  She started to get up and follow him to see if there was some way she could help but a hand on her forearm stopped her.  She turned to see Drizzt shaking his head.  “I know the look of someone that has demons to fight.  Let him be for now.”  She didn’t like it, but she gave him a nod before sitting back down.  They finished the rest of the meal in silence, each caught up in their own tangled thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All, I am sad to say that this will be the last chapter I will post on this fic for awhile, but I am not abandoning it. I have a new job and between that and several other things, I now have even less time than normal. Once I can take a few things off my plate I will pick back up on a regular update schedule. Until then, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

## Chapter 7

Kagome and Drizzt took their time with the remainder of the meal.  Mostly it was Kagome asking questions, and she had many.  Now that they had the opportunity to rest she wanted to know everything about him; where he was from, what he did, and why he was fighting a wizard in the first place.  It had all begun because she didn’t want to bother Sephiroth while he was upset still, but it didn’t take her long to get caught up in Drizzt’s tale.  “And here I thought that my life was strange.  You’ve been through a lot!  Do you know what happened to your companion?”

“My companion?”  Drizzt had tried not to get into the harsher aspects of the things he had done, as this bright young woman seemed so innocent.  He found that the longer they talked the more she asked and the more he revealed without meaning to.  It continued to surprise him that she didn’t shy away from him, instead wanting to know more and more, even when his tale became darker.  He had gone over so many things in the last couple of hours that when she asked about his companion, he needed to have her clarify which one.  That was a fact that stumped the drow as, although he treasured each of his friends, he had never looked at the bigger picture to realize that he had so many now, that her question was one that required explanation.

“Guenhwyvar? You said you traveled with a panther, correct?”

Drizzt felt a slight stab of guilt at her question.  He had been so worried about the fight he had been thrust from and how the others were faring, that he had not thought to check how Guen was; if she could be summoned here even.  He had thought about it when he had pulled her statue out of his pack to carry with him, but he had been interrupted before he could check on her.  “I do travel with her.  I have not checked to see if she could join us here though.”  At those words, he pulled her statue out and set it next to himself before calling out her name.

Kagome gasped as the small statue was surrounded by a thick mist that grew quickly before resolving into the body of the biggest cat she had ever seen.  She almost fell off her chair backwards.  It was only the fact that she had already been told about the panther that kept her from screaming.  It also didn’t hurt that as soon as she was solid, she turned to Drizzt and nuzzled her head against him before taking a gigantic paw and pushing him hard enough for him to stumble.

He laughed at the display before bending to be eye level with the great cat.  “I apologize.  I should have known you would be able to come here.  The astral plane is between and connected to all others.”  At his words she nuzzled him again before she turned to pin Kagome with her green-eyed gaze.

Kagome had stood during their reunion and was frozen at the sight of the cat eyeing her.  She logically knew she wasn’t going to be attacked, but that didn’t stop her from being afraid.

Drizzt held out a hand to her.  “She is not a wild animal.  She won’t hurt you, if you would like to meet her.”  He then turned to Guenhwyvar.  “This is Kagome.  She is one of the people trying to help us get home.”

Guen tilted her head at the introduction but didn’t make any other moves.  Finally, Kagome worked up the nerve to move toward the duo.  Drizzt took her hand when she was close enough and placed it on Guenhwyvar’s head.  When her fingers touched the impossibly soft fur, her face lit up and she made a sound like a coo.  When Guen only nudged her hand, she found herself affectionately rubbing the head of the giant cat.

 Her fascination with Guenhwyvar was broken by the sound of a scream.  The youkai that had been helping them all day had stopped at the sight of the unannounced guest.  The sound of her scream followed her out and down the hallway.  When Kagome finally made out some of the words the female was screaming, she almost slapped her palm against her forehead.  She had completely forgotten how affected the Western lands had been by the panther youkai.  Not that she felt Sesshomaru would be scared, but his household would definitely be disturbed, something he had expressly said he wanted to avoid.

When the woman ran away screaming, Sephiroth finally rejoined them to see what the commotion was about.  He stopped several feet away and eyed the great cat with wariness.  He could tell it wasn’t a wild animal, since the young woman still had her hand on its head, however, he had no doubts as to how deadly it could be.  When the girl slapped herself, he broke the silence that had descended on the room.  “What is going on here?”

Kagome looked up at the sound of Sephiroth’s voice.  She hadn’t bothered to chase down the retreating form of the female, as she was certain they would be surrounded soon anyway.  Her only question at that point was whether to ask Drizzt to send his partner away or wait until they could explain it.  The choice was taken from her when two armed guards ran into the room.

“What is going on here?”

Kagome quickly held up both hands in a passive gesture.  “This is not an enemy, she is Drizzt-san’s partner.  Please do not attack her.  We are supposed to be guests of Lord Sesshomaru.”

The two guards did not drop their stance, but one of the ones behind them ran off down the hall.  She hadn’t noticed the fact that there were several more guards in the hall, completely blocking the exit of the library until the one ran off.  She supposed she was about to get to see angry Sesshomaru again and she wasn’t looking forward to it.

The guards didn’t move or say anything else, so she tried to keep an eye on them while turning to finally answer Sephiroth’s question.  “This is Guenhwyvar, Drizzt-san’s partner.  He was telling me about the adventures they used to have and remembered that he hadn’t called her since he got here.  He was just trying to make sure she was alright.”

Drizzt had thought to send her back when the guards first arrived, but Kagome had already replaced her hand on Guen’s head.  Even when his partner shifted closer to him, Kagome shifted slightly to follow.  It was apparent that she planned on defending them both, a situation that reminded him strongly of his friend, Cattie-Brie.  His musings were interrupted by the harsh voice of the male they were staying with.  “What is the meaning of this?”

Kagome tried not to shrink under the heated gaze of the Lord of the Western Lands.  “Ah, Sesshomaru-sama, this is Drizzt-san’s partner.  He has traveled with her for many years and only just now was able to call her here to check on her.”

At her words Sesshomaru’s gaze cooled and turned contemplative before he turned to Drizzt.  “What does the miko mean, you called the cat here?”

After hearing Kagome’s story about their host, Drizzt was less inclined to give him any really pertinent information.  He realized he didn’t have much choice though, as he had already agreed to the information exchange.  He also realized that just telling the man about Guenhwyvar wouldn’t allow him to access the magic, or to recreate it.  With that resolved he finally responded, “Guenhwyvar is a denizen of the astral plane.  I use this statuette to call her to help me when I have need.  She can remain on the material plane a short time only before she needs to go back.”

At Drizzt’s explanation, Sesshomaru’s gaze turned even more contemplative.  He didn’t have a chance to ask the questions he obviously had before Sephiroth interjected again.  “So, she is like a summon, but more interactive?”

All eyes in the room turned to look at the tall warrior.  It was Sesshomaru that asked what they were all thinking.  “Explain to this one, what a summon is exactly.”

Sephiroth paused before pulling another orb from his arm and holding it up for the room to see.  This one was different than the last one.  Its color was a deep red.  “This is a summon materia.  I don’t use them often, but I do have a few.  It allows me to call forth a creature to fight with me, but it can only stay for a short time before it must return.  I can show you, but not in here.  I would not want the library destroyed.”

Kagome’s eyes were as wide as they could go.  These two men were unlike anything she had even dreamed of, and that was saying a lot with the things she had seen since she ended up in the feudal era.  As she looked around, she realized she wasn’t the only one that thought so too.  She could hear soft murmurs from the gathered guards, they seemed to be impressed despite themselves.  She also noted that Sesshomaru actually looked excited for the first time since she had met him.  That fact was surprising all on its own.  Finally, the daiyoukai spoke up.  “This one has a garden nearby.  Would that be sufficient room to call your ‘summon’?”

Sephiroth had known when he spoke up that this would likely be the result.  He had no intention of releasing any of his materia, but he had agreed to an information exchange and this was as good a place to start as any.  It also helped to keep him occupied in the present and not the painful past.  “Anywhere outside should provide enough room.”

At that, Sesshomaru turned without another word.  He obviously expected the others to follow.  Kagome wasn’t sure if she would be welcome as well, but she didn’t want to miss whatever was coming.  She quietly followed the rest of the group as they all followed Sesshomaru.  They were led to an enclosed space that, under different circumstances, Kagome would have found enchanting.  There was a small brook that cut the area in half with small clusters of trees and several benches set around the area in the shade. 

The group stopped at the edge of the garden when Sesshomaru did.  Sephiroth was the only one to continue forward.  When he reached a safe distance, he turned to face the group.  He didn’t say anything, just raised the hand that held the tiny red orb.  Everyone’s attention was jerked up when the sky suddenly filled with dark clouds that started to spin ominously.  When the clouds opened to reveal a bright light shooting towards the ground, Kagome grasped Drizzt’s arm tightly.  She hadn’t realized she had grabbed him until he put a hand over hers.  He gave her a reassuring smile before looking back toward the taller man.

The light resolved itself into the form of a giant dragon.  When it landed next to Sephiroth, it dwarfed him.  He didn’t turn to look at it or speak to it before he walked toward the rest of the group.  “This is Bahamut.  He is not the most powerful summon, but he is still in the top echelons.”

Sesshomaru’s gaze had hardly left the giant dragon.  He had stilled his instinct to attack, but he was still on edge at the sight of something so similar to the race that had been his family’s mortal enemies.  He finally pulled his gaze back to the man that called it forth.  “How do you command it?”

Sephiroth held up the orb again.  “Through this materia.  I can give it verbal commands, but it is unnecessary.  I merely think the action I wish it to take and it does so.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed slightly.  “Anyone that holds this ‘materia’ can command this beast?”

Sephiroth paused before reluctantly nodding.  “Yes, anyone that holds any materia can command it to the best of their abilities.  It takes practice, and in some cases, a certain amount of talent to access the information in the materia that allows you to call forth their respective magics.”

Sesshomaru didn’t respond right away.  It was easy to see he was deep in thought.  Finally, he turned to the taller man with an almost predatory look.  “How does one obtain one of these materia?”

Sephiroth almost looked dumbfounded for a moment.  This was obviously a question he didn’t deal with often.  He gave his head a little shake before answering.  “They are produced naturally where the lifestream gathers.  They are not magic themselves; instead they guide you to the natural magic within the planet and show you how to access it.  They are the condensed memories of those that roamed the planet long ago.”

“Lifestream?”  This was a concept foreign to the rest of the group.  Kagome was the only one that had an idea of what he meant.  She felt a pulling inside her consciousness at the mention of it.  “Was that the green stuff that came out of the well with you?”

All eyes were suddenly on Kagome.  Sephiroth gave her an evaluating look before responding.  “As I did not witness it myself, I cannot say for sure.  However, from your description, yes, it sounds as if that were a portion of the lifestream.”

Her brow furrowed in concentration before she turned to him again.  “So, you’re saying that all life, when it passes on becomes a part of this lifestream?  And you can use crystalized portions of it to access all the memories of everyone that ever lived?”

He shook his head slightly before responding.  “That is close, but you cannot randomly access all the memories.  The materia are all focused.  Each one has a different set of memories that it will allow you to access.  You don’t even really have access to memories, per say, but it is more of an echo of a memory, or a portion of one, that subconsciously allows you to guide the energies of the planet to suit your needs.”

It was Sesshomaru that spoke up next.  “You still have not explained to this one where a materia can be obtained.”

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed slightly when he turned back to the daiyoukai.  “Do you know where the lifestream gathers on this planet?”

At the reminder that his guests were not from the same planet, Sesshomaru frowned slightly.  He was not interested in most of the materia the tall man had told him about, but the idea of being able to command such powerful creatures had him intrigued.  It wasn’t that he needed them, he already held command of many powerful demons, but this was something else entirely.  There was no chance of betrayal and command was absolute.  After watching the giant dragon for a few minutes, he concluded that it was not something he had need to delve into further and turned back to his guest.  “Impressive.  Though, this one would ask that you refrain from calling these creatures inside the shiro.  We can discuss this more at dinner.”  With that he turned and headed back to whatever duties he had been handling.

Kagome was still glaring at his retreating back when another young youkai female stopped in front of her and bowed.  “Lady miko, I have been asked to assist you in place of Kira for the rest of your stay.  I have also been instructed to tell you that dinner will be soon.  We will need to head back and prepare.”

Kagome was already tired of the formality of staying here, but they hadn’t learned anything today.  She looked back at the two men that had moved to stand beside her before turning back to the young youkai with a sigh.  “Fine, would you please lead us back to the rooms?”

Sephiroth was still seething at the arrogant treatment from their host but managed to keep it from showing on his face.  He had hoped to impress the male enough to garner a quicker exchange, but it seemed that the demon was hard to impress.  He caught most of what was said by the demon bowing in front of their young female companion and had to clamp tighter on his anger.  He knew that losing his temper here would not get him home faster.  When the demon turned and asked them to follow, he fell into step with the smaller warrior. He hoped they would find more answers at dinner, but it looked like this was going to take much longer than he had hoped.


End file.
